Nintendo has introduced fans to quite the plethora of IPs over the years, and if not for Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda would likely be the Japanese video game company's most well-known franchise. With nearly 20 mainline Zelda games and a variety of spinoffs across almost 35 years, the action-adventure series has stood the test of time by innovating and adapting time and time again, most recently redefining the open-world genre with Breath of the Wild.
However, as the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. comes to a close, The Legend of Zelda's 35th anniversary begins, officially taking place in just a few days on February 21. Given Nintendo's focus on Mario's monumental anniversary throughout 2020 and into 2021, many fans have hoped to see a similar celebration for Zelda, with new merchandise, a new game, and/or a new collection of remasters. And now that the first full-fledged Nintendo Direct presentation in over 530 days has come and gone, a remaster of a Wii Legend of Zelda game has been announced.
In today's Nintendo Direct presentation, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma stated that although he had no news to share on the sequel to Breath of the Wild, it is coming along smoothly. However, just as many fans had guessed, an HD remaster of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is coming to the Nintendo Switch along with revamped controls, touched up visuals, and a new set of Zelda-themed joy-cons.
During the 50-minute-long Nintendo Direct, Aonuma explained that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD's controls have been adapted to better fit the Nintendo Switch's joy-cons, which are now much more capable than the Nintendo Wii's Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuck, allowing for "smoother, and even more intuitive" controls. Players will be able to wield the sword using the joy-con controller in their right hand, while they can raise their shield with the joy-con in their left hand. Both joy-cons can also be used in tandem for other functionalities such as firing a bow.
Of course, the game can be played in handheld mode without joy-con controllers as well, with the right stick being used to control the angle of the sword based on the direction it is tilted in. A set of Skyward Sword-themed joy-cons based on the Master Sword and Hylian Shield will also be released alongside The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on July 16.
After showing off the game, Aonuma explained how certain aspects of Skyward Sword were used to inspire Breath of the Wild, such as the game's glider and stamina wheel. Although today's Nintendo Direct made no particular mention of The Legend of Zelda's 35th anniversary, it is already of to a strong start with Skyward Sword HD.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD releases on July 16 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.